A bit of a Catch 22... I need your opinion

A bit of a Catch 22... I need your opinion

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JipJopJones

JipJopJones

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
4,475
Location
North Shore
Car(s)
1979 Cressida Wagon, 1981 Corolla Hardtop
So as some of you may know, I recently bought a 1980 El Camino that definetly needed some work. I've done alot of that work, and when it all comes down to it, I've probably on spent $3k on the car including the initial purchase.

I love this car with all my heart, I've always loved El Caminos, and the fact that I own one and it's my first car is amazing. The thought of selling it almost makes me cry :(. BUT, it still has some issues that need to be resolved and I'm flat broke, with a V8 I'm having trouble paying for insurance and gas and frankly I've grown weary of breaking down at the side of the road.

I've only owned the car for about 2 months (I bought it on march 29th) and selling now just seems like giving up.

I've always liked Jeeps and 4x4 too, so I was thinking of selling the Elky and buying a Cherokee or other Jeep or small 4x4. An I6 is more economical, even if it is 4Litres, so what do you guys suggest?

I want something "cool" (hey, I'm a teenaged boy) and I would like a manual transmission. I'm not too fond of 4bangers either but if I must, I must. Torque is my friend.

Anyways, thanks for reading my long post, and thanks for the advice....

I hope this is resolved positivly. :cry:
 
Hmmm, tough. Couldn't you buy a cheap-as commuter box and take the El Camino off the road? But I guess you are flat broke..
 
lose the El Camino. Get something newer (1995ish), maybe with a turbo on it.
Turbo = torque.
 
Do you have any other way to get around? If so, keep the Camino, and save up your money to get something better on gas. Go for a cheap 4 banger, the money you save on gas can go to getting your el camino in better shape.

EDIT: If your of the mind to save gas, a 4x4 probably isn't the best way to do it.
 
^ I agree, a 4x4 won't be that great on gas either.
 
Get on craigslist, find yourself a a late 80's/ early 90's VW with a 16v motor (they have plenty of torque) or something equally economical for under 2k, drive the crap out of it, and keep the El Camino as a project.

You can also change your insurance and put it in storage status which should make it reasonable enough to manage.
 
My father owns a 2003 Grand Cherokee 2wd with the I-6 and averages in the low 20s for mpg. If your looking to buy and older model with 4wd that number is probably gonna drop below 20. I love Jeeps and that old slag engine, but I do not believe that is really what you are looking for if you want something which is easy on gas.
 
Scott said:
Get on craigslist, find yourself a a late 80's/ early 90's VW with a 16v motor (they have plenty of torque) or something equally economical for under 2k, drive the crap out of it, and keep the El Camino as a project.

You can also change your insurance and put it in storage status which should make it reasonable enough to manage.
Click to expand...

ahem...16v engines are really cool and all, but the VW ones need to be revved HARD if you want any sort of forward momentum

the 1980s 8v engines have lots more torque at low revs, which is what you want.
 
I say save up and wait until you can grab a gas-saver daily driver.

I'm in the same position with the grand prix but im not selling it, I just might switch the Buick for something else in the future. no point in owning two cars that burn a lot of gas
 
If you sell the El Camino I think you will regret it later, especially if it makes you feel like that.
 
JipJopJones said:
I've always liked Jeeps and 4x4 too, so I was thinking of selling the Elky and buying a Cherokee or other Jeep or small 4x4. An I6 is more economical, even if it is 4Litres, so what do you guys suggest?
Click to expand...

They aren't very fuel efficient. According to my overhead console mpg calculator my Cherokee sees ~16.5mpg city driving like a grandpa. They sure can be fun though :cheers:
 
JipJopJones said:
I want something "cool" (hey, I'm a teenaged boy) and I would like a manual transmission. I'm not too fond of 4bangers either but if I must, I must. Torque is my friend.
Click to expand...

Dude...an El Camino is cool.

Seriously, keep it.
 
Gas is probably even more expensive in Canada than it is in the US. Get something more economical with a 4-banger, you could always find another El Camino when you've got money to blow.
 
I dont wanna take this off topic but this morning. $1.40 per liter canadian
 
Well if the El Camino is as worthless as you say it is, just keep it. Could you even get much money for it? Doesn't sound like it would help you buy the Jeep.

I think you are giving up an interesting car, for a boring car. IMO that's a bad move, and I can't endorse it.
 
Keep the Camino, trust me. If you get rid of it, you'll look back later in life with regret saying "Why didn't I just hold onto it". However I would also park it and get something else to be a daily driver, that way you can still get where you need to go and have a project car you can work on when time and money allows.

https://pic.armedcats.net/p/pu/punisherbass/2008/05/22/Mad_Science_PCH_Demotivator.jpg

Just make that your mantra.
 
the 98 cherokee i had for 2 years was great. 4.0L with the 4 speed auto. we got it on ebay for about $4500 with ~70k miles. It was a police vehicle with the uprated suspension and skid plates. also had a spot light :) in 2wd it would average about 19mpg and in 4wd over the winter it dropped to about 16-17. The interior is a little cheap but the rest is built like a tank and as long as its rust free it will last forever.
 
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